Drive this Porsche and you Just Might Forsake all Others

We approach the 2011 911 Turbo S with hesitation. Is it angry with us? It appears to be. Its styling is so aggressive that even standing still it seems ready to bite. We’re wrong though. It’s not anger; it’s rage, rage against the gravity holding it fast to the pavement. This Porsche wants to fly. Open the door, ensconce yourself into the sport seats, turn the key, find a clear runway, press the gas and that rage is unleashed. All 530 horses of it!!!

Let’s be serious for a minute. No one, outside of a Porsche factory driver, NEEDS 530 HP in a road going Porsche, you’ll just WANT it. The simple fact is, here in the U.S., there’s no place to use even a fraction of that power. Should you feel bold and push hard on the gas pedal you’re more apt to end up in jail vs. regaling your friend with your daring exploits. The Turbo S is so damn fast you’ll be above ticket speed (zero to sixty in 3.1 according to Porsche, but it feels quicker) and at “don’t I get a phone call?” speed before you can spell PDK.

Hit the gas and there’s just the tiniest hint of lag before the turbos kick in. Once they do, it’s a game of chicken between you and the space-time continuum. Stay on the gas and the acceleration isn’t just linear, it’s exponential. Imagine being strapped to the front of a rocket with a nitrous button. Once you think it’s simply not possible to go faster, PDK grabs another gear and you’re pushed closer and closer to a top speed of 195 mph.

As for the PDK, the Turbo S comes standard with proper paddle shifters, not the much-maligned backward buttons of Gen 1 PDK. Ironically, you don’t need them. While they are fun to play with in sport mode and sports plus, you’ll go slower by using them. The fact is, unless you have the reflexes and experience of Patrick Long, the PDK will shift faster than you can each and every time. Not only is it faster, it’s more precise.

Inevitably you’ll want to play with the shifters. The problem is it takes your attention away from the road. At the speeds this Porsche is capable of, that’s not a good thing.

The Turbo S is so good it makes bad drivers good and good drivers dangerous

When you do get going fast in the 911 Turbo S (and you will) you might just find a little religion. I know we did. At some point I found myself thanking God for Porsche’s Ceramic Composite Brakes. More to the point, I was thanking him for giving Porsche’s engineers the good sense to make PCCB standard on each and every 911 Turbo S (along with Sport Chrono, Dynamic Engine Mounts and Porsche Torque Vectoring). As a result, you dive deeper and deeper into corners. However, if you’re not careful it’s quite easy to end up way over your head and in need of rescue. Fortunately, PSM (otherwise known as Please Save Me), acts as an ever-present lifeguard for those that understand 530HP not only deserves respect, it demands it.

Our Conclusion

After re-reading this post it might seem like we’re trying to warn you off this Porsche. We are, but not because we don’t like it. As a Porsche fan we think it’s imperative you find a way to buy one of these Turbos. If you can’t afford one, beg, borrow and steal for a chance to drive one. But here’s the rub and our warning: Drive the 2011 911 Turbo S and be prepared to forsake all others (purist or not). After a just a few short minutes in this 530 horse monster all other cars (Porsches or otherwise) will feel like they are straining uphill through a morass of cold molasses.

 I suspected this was a serious car the moment I saw it, and this post only confirms my suspicions. I feel like Porsche has always taken pride in their cars for their (in the 911′s case, “unique”) application of power maneuverability. Rear engine 911s with less horsepower slaying mid engine Ferraris is a time-honored racing tradition for the company. Those of us with Porsche’s entry level offerings can testify to the spirit of excellence that comes with doing more with less. However, every now and then we are lucky enough to see Porsche create a car that embraces a “do more with more” philosophy. Most Porsches today wring an extraordinary amount of performance from “only” 300-400 horsepower. 530 horsepower is remarkably higher than most Porsche power plants. It is expected – no, it’s absolutely necessary, judging from the review above – that the Turbo S has increased cornering and braking capabilities that match the engine’s awesome power.
You said the 911 Turbo S was the car to drive, purist or otherwise. This car seems to question what it means to be a Porsche purist in the first place. Didn’t Dr. Porsche say he built his own sports car because existing sports cars weren’t exhilarating enough for him? Engine location and transmission style may be important to many of us, but I believe the true spirit of Porsche vehicles lies in their responsive engines, communicative steering, deft maneuverability, enduring comfort and overall ability to improve the driver’s connection to the road. Surely, this car is capable of living up to those expectations. They should prep one to enter in the Paris-Dakar Rally. Pplease post videos of this thing moving! I haven’t sat in its seats or heard its exhaust note, but I already know I want this car. If I had the means, I would make it an all-weather, all-wheel-drive monster! Again, great post! This car looks amazing!

Great article! I’d heard your review of the 2011 turbo S was coming in January and I’ve been looking forward to it. I was not disappointed. I have a little over 500 miles on my 2011 turbo S (with all the snow we’ve had) so I’ve only almost killed myself a few times so far. Just kidding, I’m in official engine break-in mode and at this rate will be for a while longer but I did pass a bunch of cars on a nice long straightaway w/o even trying the other day.
Keep up the good work and thanks again for the fine articles,
Don

I just launched one with the launch control. Two words H&*% S#&@!! Fastest car I have EVER been in. I have read that some publications have clocked it at 2.6 to sixty. I think the only car that will come close, other than Bugatti or Shelby Aero will possibly be the 2800 pound Mclaren that is about to arrive. We will see. The Turbo S is an amazing way to “bow out” of a beautiful dance. Watch out folks, the 991 (998) will be here soon.

Technological evolution is both satan and savior depending on ones motoring religious beliefs
If outright performance is desired then hail to the Gods of Weissach that brought us this wunder kind in the guise of the 2011 Turbo S
If driver involvement is most wanted then look back in the Ferry era for fulfillment
Accept this ride for what it is: a hypercar to make even average drivers feel supehuman without the blood, sweat and tears of old fast hands and feet that drove with intuitive anticipation beating the laws of physics to the punch
Medically speaking testicular size and mass has been shrinking with every passing decade, in its place a lame new world has emerged, one where every human action has an equal and opposite computer controlled reaction
This is why even the most talented drivers of our generation will never acquire the spectrum of skills that greats such as Nuvolari, Fangio, Moss, Hill, Elford, Rodriguez, Andretti, Lauda, Ickx and Senna (to name but a few) possessed

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! In my opinion, the Turbo S (and other current generations Porsches) are not just about outright performance. Instead, they are natural evolution of Dr. Porsche’s original idea. I believe that driver involvement has simply evolved along with the technology. The skill set required to drive these cars, near or at their limits, might be different from earlier production and racing Porsches, but it’s a difficult and rare skill set none the less.

It’s one thing to drive the Turbo S, or any other Porsche for that matter, for a week on back roads and highway to talk about its performance as a road going toy. It’s something completely different to take one to the edge, hold it there and not lose control.

Does the computer help? Yes, of course, but it doesn’t take the human element out of the game. In fact, I would argue it’s quite the opposite. Those without the skills can easily feel too comfortable and push things too far (in their attempt to “feel superhuman”). However, instead of going “ass over tea kettle” (which I suspect most Porsche drivers have only read about vs. experienced) advancements like PSM allow today’s driver to learn from their mistakes without the ultimate consequences.

You still “feel” the road in every sense of the word. However, now the challenge (and skill) is to drive these Porsche as fast as you can without engaging those electronic controls. Do that and you’re a good driver on your way to being great.

Lastly, technologies like PDK might be the end of “heel/toe” shifting for some, but it’s just the start in a new generation of technically superior Porsches. However, we can never forget that, at a certain point, neither PSM (or any other acronym for that matter) will save you outside of pure reaction and driving skill.

Stefanos definitely has a point about technology and modern cars as does 993C4S. I liken all fast cars (the turbo s being near the top of that list) to modern jet fighters. Hear me out please, I’m not 13 years old. Driving race cars years ago demanded certain skills (and lots of them) as did flying fighter planes. Besides all the flying and driving skills needed, you also had to know how to repair the cars and planes (something pilots and drivers for the most part can’t attempt today). This was true whether you piloted or drove a fast American, German, English, Italian, or whatever car or plane. You all probably know this but modern jet fighters can NOT fly without their computers involvement. The planes are too fast with far too many inputs needed to keep them in the air for a human pilot, no matter how great his or her skills. The plane would go out of control and crash if the “systems” that kept it in the air went down. Does this take away from the skills needed from the pilot to fly at these speeds and to perform their missions? The skills are different for sure but I wouldn’t want our Air Force to defend us with single engined Corsairs for instance. It’s pretty much the same for all modern vehicles that can now go faster than (most) humans skills to drive them safely. With those controls “regular” driver can drive faster yet safer. Not being a Moss or an Andretti nor anyone remotely close, PSM and other modern driving aids allow me to push my Porsche, to enjoy the amazing vehicle it is, and to live to park it in the garage when I’m done.

Donald’s analogy with fighter jets is right on the money; I just hope that cars don’t get to the point were they cannot be driven in different settings unless the relevant “systems” are engaged. Maybe then we start engineering older technologies back into them to add nostalgia in the same manner designers do by borrowing visual cues from the past that obviously speak volumes to potential buyers (Fuchs anyone)
Imagine a retro-shift button on your 911 that converts the PDK to a dog leg 5-speed pattern Sportomatic simulation….now that’s a thought
Or a Turbo lag button that purposely delays the spooling only to deliver an unsuspecting kick in the butt a fraction of a second later
Then you can drive your grandkids around and reminisce about the good old days

Let me ask a question (and this is coming from someone from with a strong affinity for “old” cars as I am an ex-restoration shop owner that specialized in American pony and muscle cars).

If you want a sports car without abs, airbags, and power steering and all the “feelings” that go along with it, why don’t you just buy an old car? That way you can do more than reminisce, but actually live a little bit of the good ol’ days? 🙂

Argh! That’s exactly what’s so awful about it: The fact that a six-speed is not even an option in this car. This “sports” car is an /automatic, /a GT car, just like my 928S4, and my grandmother could drive either one of them. It’s not always about top speed, bragging rights and stellar stats; it’s about the driving experience, the control, the satisfaction in mastering a real mechanical car. Who doesn’t love a perfectly executed heel-toe downshift? An option forever unavailable on this car. Sure, the 911T is an impressive piece of technology, but I know my 944 track/street car is a whole lot more fun and satisfying to actually drive: Manual steering, no anti-lock brakes, no A/C, a suspension system where I have to actually crawl under the car to make adjustments. That’s what a true sportscar is. Not a 911 with what is essentially an automatic transmission.

Is this car for bragging rights? It is too fast to learn how to drive at 7/10’s. Yep it will be a trailer queen, hardly what Dr. Porsche envisioned in my opinion.
Bill Moses
356’s are slow, Speedsters can be driven fast.